​Our third invitee to The Blue Bench Series is our first born daughter, Emily. She is sensitive, talented, creative and a dedicated educator. There is no one you will meet that is more giving of themselves and their time than Emily Nicole Ford Mills.

However, being  a first born, she has also inherited some of our obsessive traits. We love her all the more for that. Emily has doggedly set out to know as much as possible about our family ancestry. She has spent countless hours researching and developing the family lineage on both sides. Emily has also compiled numerous family photographs to connect our family stories.
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Emily chose to bring a ring as her object to the session. Her ring is a square onyx, with a wonderful story, as well. I was moved by the fact that she sought to find a similar ring simply because it reminded her of the ring that I wear, a black onyx that belonged to my father. Emily was gifted her ring from a close friend of my sister named Robin Cohen. When Robin found out that Emily was looking for a black onyx ring, Robin gifted her late mother’s ring to Emily. Yes, Robin is just that kind and remarkable. There are so many good people in the world. These types of people should be on the news, not the others.

​My ring is a simple black onyx with a small diamond set in the face. The ring belonged to my grandfather. He in turn gave it to my father.  Then my mother had her great-grandmother’s diamond set in the face of the ring as a wedding gift to her new husband. When my father passed, I began wearing the ring. Just to make the story a bit more interesting, Ann Marie also has a black onyx ring that has been passed down through her family.

While researching the family line, Emily pointed out to me the many photographs in which my grandfather, and subsequently my father were photographed wearing the ring. There’s a lot of emotion tied to this small keepsake. Emily’s efforts also  reminded me of the importance of photography. 

My son-in-law, Corey Mills was invited to the Blue Bench Session the same day that we photographed our first participant Jenny.  Corey is a truly gifted educator, wrestling coach, history buff, voracious reader, and all in all, just a wonderful person.
Corey brought a beautiful, smooth, river rock as his object to feature.
The rock, of course, has an attached story. Corey’s story actually made me tear up.

David Hemingway would pass away from testicular cancer at the very young age of 33. Corey had the opportunity to say goodbye to his friend just days before David died. 

​At Dave’s memorial service, rocks from Purgatory Chasm State Reservation were passed out as remembrances of Dave’s life. Dave’s hometown was in Sutton MA., and Purgatory Chasm is where Dave would often go for solitude and relaxation.
When tensions rise in Corey’s life, and stress begins to takes over, Corey finds himself holding the special rock for comfort. With Dave’s rock in hand he is reminded of the importance of enjoying the moment, the importance of being kind, and the importance of focusing on the needs of others. 

I would suspect that Dave also helped Corey discover the breathtaking beauty in John Coltrane’s, A Love Supreme. Understanding Coltrane’s dedication to God begins by making a lifetime commitment to appreciate all the gifts that have been Divinely given to us, each and every day. That’s a gift that we can truly see in Corey Mills.

John & Ann Marie Ford

Ok, this is what happens after you retire. You start projects that otherwise you would have passed over as superfluous. 

I found and old bench in my basement that was given to me some time ago. In a moment of boredom, I decided to sand it down and give it new life. After sanding it down, I gave the bench it’s new array of color.

As I was painting, I started to think about how the bench could serve as a cool catalyst for a new photo series for my talented photographer wife, Ann Marie. What would happen if I asked people to choose an object to be featured in photographs with them on the bench? An object that could be described as important to them, an object that they would value above many other material things we collect in life. 

I first assigned this challenge to my cousin Jenny. She is a good sport. She is willing to endure my crazy ideas. Jenny was my secretary when I worked as Chief of Police. She is beautiful, brilliant, funny, edgy, and sensitive. Jenny was, and still is, the key person that keeps the Sharon Police Department  functioning on a day to day basis. As strange as it is, I worked for Jenny’s mother thirty years ago when I was a teacher. Susan Little was the secretary of Sharon Middle School. Aunt Susan held the building together with her ever-present humor, intelligence and kindness. I love, and I am indebted to them both.

Ann Marie spent many hours setting up the lighting and background for the shoot, and of course, many additional hours in Lightroom working her talented magic.
Jenny brought a ring to the photo shoot. But not just any ring. The ring was made from a spoon belonging to her great great grandmother. ​

​In 1977 Jenny’s grandparents, Ethyl and Bob Morse passed the ring onto their daughter Susan as a Christmas present. Susan passed it onto her daughter Jenny. Jenny also brought the small note written by Ethel Morse to Susan that Christmas in 1977 to the photo session.

The ring is special in so many ways. The silverware set that the spoon came from is still being used in the Cape vacation home, that is, sans one special spoon. When Jenny goes to the  family vacation home on the cape, it peaks a special emotional remembrance for her.

I love the story of her ring. I love that it is a simple object of love. I love that the ring will be passed on for generations to come. However, it’s equally important  that the ring has created a new moment of family memories, laughter and love.

What would you choose to be featured in the Blue Bench Series?  Let me know and we will feature you on our next shoot.
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John & Ann Marie Ford